Potato cakes with Italian sausages and poached eggs

This is a great weeknight meal with a little pizazz to make it special. Plus, I love poaching eggs. I’m not sure why, but it feels like magic to drop a runny egg into simmering water and have it form into something lovely you can eat. The other great thing about this meal is that you don’t need any sides because this has it all-greens, protein and a starch. I usually make this for two of us and have one potato cake left over for my lunch, so I’ve said it serves 2-3.

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. While potatoes cook, brown the sausage, breaking into smallish pieces with a wooden spoon until completely cooked through and set aside. When potatoes are cooked, drain and mash-the potatoes don’t have to be smooth.

2. In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, 1 cup of the sausage, the onion, egg, flour and parsley. Stir to combine thoroughly. Season with 1 tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper and combine.

3. Form the potato mixture into 4 cakes about 3 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick and refrigerate for about 15 minutes. (This is when I make the dressing and get the greens ready.)

4. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When nice and hot, add the potato cakes, reduce the heat to medium and cook about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy. Place in oven to keep warm.

5. Make the poached eggs by filling a large, high sided skillet with water about 2 inches deep and bring to a boil. Add the vinegar (the vinegar helps the egg whites set) and a pinch of sea salt and reduce the heat to keep the water at a simmer. Add the eggs one at a time, carefully opening the egg right over the simmering water and gently dropping them in. Poach for 2-3 minutes, until the whites set and a thin, translucent film forms over the yolks. Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the water and drain on a paper towel.

6. Toss the greens with 1/4 cup of the dressing and divide evenly among your plates. Set a potato cake on top of each bed of greens and top with 1 or 2 poached eggs and about 1/4 cup of the remaining sausage. Drizzle each serving with the remaining dressing and serve immediately.

Response to Potato cakes with Italian sausages and poached eggs

A wonderful dish! I am not much of a cook and was intimidated by this recipe. In fact, although it is noted as a ‘weekday’ meal I waited until Friday so I could not feel rushed. I enjoyed the process immensely, substituted chicken sausage and rice flour. There was little fussing and distractions, as the recipe calls for finishing everything and then poaching the eggs. And, I agree, poached eggs are sexy! And fun to cook. The dressing is amazing, I think I overdid the shallots as I feel them coming out of my pores. Thanks for the encouragement, Margretta! Great meal and fun to FINALLY try a recipe!

Hi Jeanne,
I’m so glad you did it! And that you changed things a bit-I actually always use chicken sausage as well, but had never thought of the rice flour substitution. Brilliant idea to make it gluten free, so glad to know that it worked. So happy to hear your feedback. Keep on cooking!
margretta

About the Author and Photographer

The author and cook is Margretta Murnane. She recently moved to Bainbridge Island, WA. She has been cooking for her friends and family for many years and loves to share her passion for local, organic and seasonal food with others. Her husband Sal Celis used his artistic talents to create many of the photos you'll see on this blog, but the more recent photos are Margretta's novice attempts. She's more interested in eating hot food than getting perfect photos.

Subscribe

Enter your email address for the latest postings and for at least one new recipe a month: